Postpartum Depression, Anxiety and Related Topics

Are you feeling exhausted, anxious, depressed, angry, weepy or just not yourself?...
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Are you feeling exhausted, anxious, depressed, angry, weepy or just not yourself? Are you still pregnant and feeling all these things, or are you part of the one in ten new mothers experiencing the various degrees of postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety(PPA) or other related diagnosis.

PPD and PPA can occur within days of delivery or gradually, sometimes up to a year or more after the birth of your little one. Regardless if you are experiencing this while pregnant, or after birth this is all very treatable and there is hope! There is no need to suffer in silence!
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Michelle "hosted" or "group owned" this group since 2006. Her story can be found at the end of this post. Michelle has taken some time away from the board, so GnLsMom, Ferguson447, and Maggi1975 have stepped in as fellow GO's.

From Michelle: I have had great influence over my time here, great help, and do have an education in the health care field. I am not a doctor, I do not have all the answers, but like you I too suffered from severe PPA with OCD and intrusive thoughts. I thought I wouldn't be cured, I thought they would never find a medication to work, and I would be the one who would never be fixed from this illness so many hide rather then talk about. My daughter is seven and half now and I can tell you it will get better, it will take time and its an uphill fight. Parts of us change in the journey, but I have learned there is also a reason for it. You'll learn more about who you are going through this then probably any other thing you might encounter in life. I have a list of diagnosis, PTSD, GAD, PPA, OCD, and PMDD so when I talk of myself I'm not the norm.

You are not alone, there are over 4,000 members reading, they may not post all the time, but they are here with you. The moms here have been through what you are going through or are going through it with you. There is hope, there are answers, you will get better. Start off by looking at the Getting Started Thread, for resources, live chat help through links, and good books to look into for support and information.

If you have medication questions, or appointments with your doctors and they discuss medications with you be sure to ask them about how the medication works. What to expect, what dose are you starting at, have a follow up appointment set before you leave, and don't be afraid to call your doctor if things just don't feel right. Tell them how you are feeling, and don't feel you have to hide it. You are not a bad mother, a bad person, you are someone who isn't feeling well who is seeking help.

Before handing you a prescription they should tell you what its for, how it works, side effects to expect, what to do if you have side effects, a phone number to call if you need in case of emergency, how the dosing works, and if any other medications should be prescribed for anxiety attacks, insomnia and the such.

Medication are an individual thing. Some ladies are lucky enough to hit the right med at the lowest dose and find relief. Others hit rough patches, have allergic reactions, or a medication may not resolve all their issues so they have to take more then one. Each of us is different, and how you will respond will be different. We can talk about the "typical" side effects, or "generally" what to expect, but you may experience something totally in left field. Give the medications a chance to do their job, none of them except hypnotics and benzo's are designed to act immediately. They take time to build up in your blood system to the effective dose for your brain and body chemistry. It is a process, one that can take weeks or even months to resolve, but unless there is a pre-diagnosed history PPD/A does usually go away when treated.

Do not spend to much time Googling. There are websites that are valid places to look for support and answers but there are far more you will find through Googling that will lead you to horror stories. These are triggers for moms who are just figuring out they have PPD/A and even for moms who know what they have but are searching for more answers. Moms suffering with PPD/A with OCD (there is a section in the Getting Started thread on PPA/D with OCD) Googling is a compulsion one you should stay away from.

Know your triggers and know when and when not to expose yourself unnecessarily to them. Sometimes cyberspace is a trigger, sometimes the threads here are triggers, so if you feel triggers may be present in your thread label your title as such. Again please refer to the Getting Started thread for what a trigger is and what is and is not okay to post. Be careful when linking moms to blogs in your signatures. Do not openly start a thread directing moms to your blogs as these will be removed, they are a danger and are often inadvertently full of triggers. To much detail can be the downfall of many who have made great progress.

Finally, the Group Owners are here for the safety of the many who come here. We want to see everyone get better, get support, not feel alone, stigmatized, or outcast for experiencing something that approximately 20% of the population does. We will enforce BabyCenter's guidelines as well as the set guidelines for this group directly. We will communicate with you through the passing a note (or PAN) system to let you know a violation or change needs to occur. If you are unable to change it, or its a direct violation I can not edit any information, but will either lock or delete the thread if necessary.

Everyone has access to our inboxes by sending any of us a note, everyone has access to BabyCenter's moderators through the help tab, and everyone has the option to report a thread to either the moderators, the group owners or both.

If anyone would like to "borrow" information from this group please send me a note.

Thank you for reading, and hope everyone finds the help they so deserve.

Always follow up with your doctor on information you get from any online site, including this one. If you don't have a doctor and wonder where to start I often say look at postpartum support internationals website at postpartum.net go to the resources section and location your area coordinator. Check with your local hospital for options, call your OB, family practice doctor, and if all else fails take yourself to the emergency room. This is treatable, and there is no reason for any of you to suffer in silence.